Terms & Conditions

Villanovo is provided to you for the purpose of searching, selecting and making a reservation for a property rental listed in our portfolio of luxury and character properties.

This web site and our booking service is made available to you conditioned upon your acceptance of the terms set forth below. By accessing or using the Villanovo web site and by renting a property with us, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions apply equally to the Group Leader and to all the persons named in the Booking Form (Client or Occupant)

2 - Villanovo Service

Villanovo provides a web site and a service to book property rentals in the selected destinations offered on the web site.

You are fully responsible for the purchase and the organization of your transportation to the rental property. You are also fully responsible to check and comply with local regulations regarding passport and visas as well as health requirements. Please contact your local office for foreign travel and passports to enquire about passport, visa and health requirements for the country in which the property is situated.

For our UK clients, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advice Unit may have issued information about your holiday destination. You are advised to check their web site under "travel advice" or by telephone on 0845 850 2829.
Alternatively, you can check the ABTA Travel Information website or by telephone on 0901 201 5050 (calls are charged at 50p a minute).

It is a condition of booking that you take out adequate travel insurance. As a minimum this should include cover for third party liability, vacation rental and medical repatriation. Your electronic validation of the booking form will be treated as confirmation that every member of your party has such insurance.

3 - Bookings

You can book online once availability has been confirmed to us by the owner and the booking form has been issued to you. We will confirm your reservation upon payment of the guarantee deposit and acceptance by you of the present Terms and Conditions, the Rental Conditions, the Reservation Conditions and the Cancellation Conditions .

You can pay online by credit card or choose to pay by bank transfer.

Rental Conditions, Reservation Conditions and Cancellation Conditions are instructed to Villanovo by the owner. All these conditions are displayed on the web site for each property of our portfolio.

The booking price of your stay is displayed on the web site. The rental rate may include some services which are mentionned on the web site. A list of on-request services is also mentionned along with indicative prices. On request services will be billed to you by Villanovo prior to arrival or by Villanovo or the owner directly during your stay.

Full payment is usually due 45 days prior to arrival date. If specific conditions apply, they will be mentionned in the Reservation Conditions.

4 - Security Deposit

When you book with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss (Damage) to the property or adjacent properties caused by you or any member of your party, your employees or visitors to the property. Full payment for any such Damage must be paid direct at the time to Villanovo or his local representative or the owner.

Some property owners require a security deposit to cover them against Damage and unpaid bills. The security deposit must be paid with the balance of your rental. Villanovo will require details of a credit card as a further security for most bookings, in addition to the security deposit. Charges will only be made to your credit card in the exceptional situation where the damages caused to the property are in excess of the amount held as security deposit or if you have left unpaid bills for additional services and which cannot be deducted from the security deposit.

We recommend that you ensure that your insurance policy covers accidental damage to the property and its contents. Your security deposit shall be returned to you as soon as possible, at the latest by within 30 days of the end of the booking period, after deduction of the cost of any damage.

5 - Payments

Full payment of the balance as shown on your confirmation invoice is a few weeks prior to your arrival. If the payment is not received at the point stated in the Reservation Conditions, we reserve the right to cancel your booking and levy cancellation charges as detailed in the Cancellation Conditions.

When due, deposit and balance payments can be made by Visa and Mastercard or direct bank transfer. Details will accompany your booking form. American Express payments are subject to a 3% surcharge.

Credit card payment on Villanovo web site is encrypted and secured through SSL technology.

6 - Cancellation

Should you need to cancel your booking after confirmation, you must immediately advise us in writing to reservation@villanovo.com.

Your notice of cancellation will only be effective when it is received in writing by us at our offices. Cancellation fees may apply. The cancellation fees and no show fees are displayed as a percentage of the booking price in the Cancellation Conditions.

Although it is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to confirmed arrangements, it could occasionally happen, and we will advise you at the earliest possible date. If for any reason beyond our control we are unable to provide you with the property you have booked, we reserve the right to transfer to a similar or better property. However, if this is not possible or you do not wish to be transferred, we will cancel the booking and refund the amount paid to us for the property, but we will not be liable for any cancellation charges for travel arrangements.

7 - Villa Description and Villanovo Liability

The photos on Villanovo website are intended to give a general overall impression of the standard of the villas and hotels we feature. Some aspects of the property may have changed by the time you come to make your booking, for example, items of furniture may have been removed by the owner. We cannot accept any liability if this situation should arise.

We promise to use reasonable skill and care in making your booking and selecting the property owners and hotels we work with. We have no responsibility for the properties themselves or for any services provided by property owners or other suppliers or for the acts or omissions of any property owner or other supplier or any of their employees, agents, suppliers or subcontractors.

We act only as an agent for the property supplier or other supplier concerned. Your contract for your accommodation is directly with the property supplier concerned. We accept no liability in relation to the accommodation itself or for the acts or omissions of the property or hotel concerned or any of its employees, agents, suppliers or subcontractors.

Villanovo and villa owners shall not accept responsibility for losses to guests for any claims, including but not limited to:

1. Responsibility for personal body injury, death, accident, lost, stolen or damaged property, loss of mental or physical enjoyment, delay or inconvenience
2. Any delays of changes in schedule, itineraries, incurred by any person arising out of any willful or negligent or omission of any carrier, hotel, airline, villa, ground operator or other person who does not render any services or accommodations.
3. The act or omissions of any party
4. Monetary crisis, labor problems, economic changes, mechanical maintenance or construction difficulties or noise, climatic aberrations, local laws, novel or unexpected conditions;
5. Absence of travel documents, passports, visa and health certificates, where required.
6. Additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, missed carrier connections, substitute accommodation or of common carrier equipment, termination of service, change in fare and rates, cancellation or double booking reservations or tickets, sickness, strike, war, quarantine, pilferage, monetary crisis, political or social unrest, disease, acts of gods or any events beyond our control.

Villanovo is not responsible for damages such as (but not limited to) motorcycle, scooter, and other vehicle rentals, horse-back riding, golfing, pool swimming, falls from pool decks, wet tiles and or stairs along with any sliding glass door injuries. Therefore, each guest agrees he/she is voluntary participating in any and all activities, risks, and use of the accommodations, and hereby assumes all risk of injury, illness, damage or loss to person and property that might result, including, without limitation, any loss or theft or personal property.

8 - Behavior

We expect all clients to have consideration for other people. llegal or immoral activities including gambling, prostitution, prohibited drugs, possession or use of pyrotechnics or dangerous goods, and possession or use of firearms and other weapons are all strictly prohibited.

If in our reasonable opinion or in the reasonable opinion of the owner or property manager, you or any member of your party behaves in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party or damage to property, we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate the stay of the person(s) concerned.

The client is responsible for the behaviour of the guests staying at the property, as well as visitors to the property during the rental period. Should any guest(s) or visitor(s) not behave in a suitable manner, Villanovo, the owner or owner’s representative may, in their absolute discretion, require the client, their party and/or visitor(s) to leave the premises and/or vacate the property immediately, without compensation or refund.

Smoking is generally prohibited unless stated otherwise in the booking confirmation or reservation voucher. Pets are not allowed unless stated otherwise in the booking confirmation or reservation voucher

9 - Occupancy

We and/or the owner/other supplier of the property concerned reserve the right to terminate your stay without notice if we or the owner/other supplier discover that the number of persons staying at the property exceeds the number stated on your confirmation email and you have not gained our or the owner's/supplier's prior written permission for this and/or paid any extra associated costs. In this situation, no refunds will be made and we will have no further responsibility to you.

10 - Events

All bookings are assumed to be for normal holiday purposes only, and the client agrees that the use of the property will be limited to this purpose unless otherwise confirmed in writing.

If you are planning to hold an event, such as a wedding or party, which involves having a larger number of people at the property, or if you are planning to use the property for a purpose other than holiday, please communicate this to Villanovo at the time of booking, as special approval or arrangements may be required. Depending on the nature of the event, a surcharge and/or additional security deposit may be required, which will be agreed and confirmed in writing prior to confirming the reservation.

11 - Swimming pools and Wellness Areas

Swimming pools by their very nature carry their own inherent risks. You must ensure that you and all members of your party take great care when using or being near any swimming pool(s) at the property where you are staying. You should for example make sure you and all members of your party are aware of the depth(s) and layout of the pool prior to use and that all persons walk rather than run around or near the pool. Children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult.
At all times, you and your guests are to consider your own safety and the safety of others when using the wellness area. Use of the wellness area is at your and your guests own risk. Facilities are to be used for the designed purpose and in compliance with the instructions given by the staff of the property or the owner. Without prejudice to the generality of the above, the following things are strictly prohibited in the wellness areas :
- running;
- diving or jumping into the swimming pool or Jacuzzi;
- drinking of any alcohol or using the wellness area when under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
- leaving children unsupervised in the wellness area.

The direct, visual and active supervision of children present in a wellness area or by a swimming pool by an adult is essential and under your sole responsibility. The swimming pool, Jacuzzi etc located in the property do not always comprise an alarm system, safety nets or other safety measures designed to prevent the risk of drowning. To ensure the safety of children, the following precautions must be taken, in particular:
- never leave young children alone near the swimming pool or Jacuzzi;
- never leave a child alone in the water, even if they know to swim, or in a Hamman, steam room, sauna etc. They must always be under the supervision of an adult capable of saving them in the event of an accident;
- never leave toys or other items floating on the water; they may encourage children to approach the water; and
- always fit inflatable armbands of floating costumes on young children.

If you fail to comply with the rules and security precautions set out in these Conditions, the staff of the property or the owner shall be entitled to prohibit the use of the wellness area or the swimming pool for the duration of your stay.

12. Wildlife and Surrounding areas

Neither Villanovo nor the property owner can be held responsible for the presence of any animals or insects you may encounter at the property. The majority of our villas are located outside city centers in rural areas where wildlife such as animals and insects are part of the landscape. Therefore it would be particularly rare not to encounter different local animals, such as rodents, deer, goats or cats or dogs (stray or belonging to nearby locals), or insects such as wasps, bees, mosquitoes, flies, ants, scorpions or spiders or even snakes. Insects and animals can be attracted to water sources such as swimming pools, nearby streams or ponds, and are enticed by local vegetation and food left out following an al fresco meal. It is strongly advised to keep doors and windows closed as much as possible and to clear all remains of food following all (outdoor and indoor) meals to prevent any unwanted visitors.

Neither Villanovo nor the property owner can be held responsible for any noise or disturbance which comes from beyond the boundaries of the property or which is beyond the owner's control.

13 - Animals

No animals are allowed in the properties without prior written consent of Villanovo. It should also be noted that in a number of our properties animals are prohibited altogether. An increased damage deposit and one off cleaning charge will be required as part of this consent. If during the stay, damage is caused by the animal we reserve the right to ban the animal from the property.

14 - Guest Reviews

Villanovo is allowing clients to post reviews of their stay in a property. We may collect and display reviews, comments and other material from guests after they have completed their rental period purchased via Villanovo.

You disclaim any proprietary rights you may have in such guest review, and your review(s) may be freely used, copied, distributed and made available in any medium and in any form by Villanovo or its affiliates without your permission.

Specifically, by using the Villanovo guest review feature, you represent and warrant that:
- you control all of the rights to the guest reviews that you post;
- as at the date of posting, the guest reviews submitted are accurate;
- you will not intentionally or recklessly post information that could cause injury or offend any person;
- you will not post any comments, information or material that is untrue; malicious; defamatory; abusive; obscene or could reasonably be taken as such; you will not act in any way to deceive or mislead and will not engage in or encourage any fraudulent or illegal activity;

Villanovo does not edit guest reviews submitted and to the fullest extent permitted by law will not be in any way responsible or liable for such reviews or their subsequent posting, use or distribution.

In addition, Villanovo does not verify, endorse or approve the views or comments expressed in any reviews which are the personal views of the individuals submitting them. Any decisions made on the basis of reviews or comments appearing on the service are taken at your own risk.

Villanovo reserves the right for any reason in its sole discretion to refuse to post or remove (without notice) any reviews. Amongst other things, this includes situations where Villanovo receives a third party complaint and/or has reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions.

If you have a complaint about any reviews, comments or material posted on this website you should put such complaint in writing to info@villanovo.com

15 - Applicable law

These terms and conditions and any dispute, controversy, proceedings or claim of whatever nature in relation thereto shall be dealt with by the Courts of Paris, France.

We are fully financially bonded and bound by professional codes of conduct, complying with the latest European directives.
Your money is "safe" and your rights protected with a reputable and professional holiday company.

Villanovo is a member of APST. Villanovo holds a fully bonded licence granted by Atout France.